Gerardo Carrillo’s lights-out relief and James McCann’s timely hitting rescued the Arizona Diamondbacks from a bullpen collapse in a 12-inning marathon.
The Arizona Diamondbacks survived a 12-inning thriller against the Pittsburgh Pirates, 8-7.
Fresh off a 10-inning game the night before, Arizona nearly blew another game. Having put up a run in the first, two in the second, and then one in the third, fourth, and sixth innings, the Pirates managed to score three in both the eighth and ninth to send this game into extras.
Each team scored a run in the 10th, while neither managed to get one across in the seventh. Finally, Arizona's lone run scored in the 12th paid off as Gerardo Carrillo delivered a performance this pitching staff desperately needed.
Overall, the game featured 15 combined runs on 30 combined hits. This series has lived up to the hype in a big way, and now a crucial finale awaits between two teams who are deep in the Wild Card race.
Carrillo stepped up big time
The 27-year-old rookie never expected his biggest moment to come on a Tuesday night in Pittsburgh, but that's the reality of the MLB. Arizona, to that point, had already used six pitchers. Brandon Pfaadt delivered a seven-inning gem, but things took an immediate turn once he was pulled from the game.
Both Paul Sewald and Kevin Ginkel earned blown saves in this game, but it's worth looking at Ryan Thompson as well. The 34-year-old gave up three runs in 28 pitches as he was only able to record two outs after Pfaadt exited.
Carrillo delivered two innings of stellar baseball and needed only 17 pitches to do so. The Mexico native was able to get Ryan O'Hearn to ground into a double play in the 11th, and then he retired the side in order in the 12th, including back-to-back strikeouts to end the game.
James McCann went 4-for-6 and drove in winning run
On a night where the Diamondbacks had Gabriel Moreno in the designated hitter spot, James McCann did a tremendous job filling in for him at catcher. The 36-year-old made each of his six plate appearances count, especially the one he saw in the 12th inning.
McCann needed just three pitches to drive in a run, one that happened to be enough insurance to secure this win. While he only had one RBI on a night where he went 4-for-6, the team couldn't have asked for much more out of him as he ended the game with 25% of their total hits.
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